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They keep diaries, page after page of heart felt emotional bull shit if you ask me. I picked up the tattered and torn remnants of lives soiled and deteriorated among the ashes of what now was left of earth.  I, one of the remaining mortals crawled from the bowels of its innards and moved upon the dark streets, littered with torn lives.  You ask yourself possibly while I feel no remorse, no pity for my kind.  With a slight shrug of my shoulders and a toss of my head.  I dunno, perhaps because to pity them is to sit on my ass and do nothing about it as they did, to wait in denial, striving for the way things were, yet knowing in the very breast of my beating heart that it could not be.... yet was exactly what I'd done, along with the rest searching for the answer to the question....1

Can we save our race, our home?2

Can we rebuild it and see it risen from ash, once again proud and strong?3

Is it worth saving?4

Do we want to?5

Dropping the pages of pleas to litter among the other trash I move on.  High black boots with no sound to the sole carry me sure footed through the ghost like town, where no mortal was seen any longer.  Broken glass and stained metal, worn brick and pealing paint.6

Was there anything left to save?7

I wondered silently, my pale hair moving back teasing my face against a breeze that could not be considered refreshing.  Was more like, to breath you had to chew first.  I had not ventured out of the safety of the underground’s for my own curiosity, hell I didn't care that much, nor could I say I'm that brave.  No I'd lost at a draw of old wires and pulled the short end ticket topside.  I was in search of a man, one that was said to be mortal, yet made so that he had become legendary for his invincibility.  His reputation proceeded him and though now as I moved through the emptied streets, darkened red in a pale replica of the sun searching him out, something in me said he was no more then an old fairy tale and myth. 8

If it were no more then that, then the tales stated he lived on earth where before the great siege of outer worlds, he'd resided underground  in the very tunnels we now have dug ourselves seeking shelter from the sun, smog and all the other shit that could cripple or kill in the atmosphere.  When the commotion started, and the wars of the planets began, he came topside, some said was the thrill of the hunt, the movement of madness that drove him here into the midst of battle that was impossible to win.  When it was over and the mortals left had fled underground into the earth’s bowels, he'd remained behind....9

Pausing before a old building, its sign gone now I wipe a hand over the blackened surface of glass to peek in.  Though my opinion is not needed in most cases, I'll add it here because its my story and I'm the one writing. I don't think he exists...and if he does, I don't think he gives a damn bout those left. Why should he after all, weren't we the ones that fled like cowards into the tunnels? 10

I squinted against the dirty glass and let out a yelp of surprise at the eyes staring back at me. I lifted a hand to the gun at my hip, though so slow and aqward like even a blind man could of seen the innocence in the gesture. Didn't matter his hand shattered the glass and had me gripped in the large fist, some time between the breath I took and the skipped heart beat.11

Fear is a strange emotion, it causes the bearer of it to suffer all sorts of delusional thoughts, and go through the most unusual physical reactions. I suppose it is safe to say that at that moment, as the breath I lost seemed trapped burning in my chest…that I was afraid.  My breasts rose and fell straining against the leather covering of my shirt front, his hand though did not loosen and the intense fire there in his eyes almost made me piss myself, but no I did hold on to some dignity.12

I gasped, my deep blue eyes, dark now with fear held his and I don’t for one moment believe  he released me because I was a woman, nor because I was like a midget next to his large size…. No if for no other reason, he let me go because I was no threat and he knew it…13

“What do you want, why have you come here?” He turned away not waiting for a response and moved inside to the dark interior of the room.14

I lifted a hand to my throat, rubbing where his hand had been and stepped closer, adjusting my eyes to the dimness.  He picked up a bottle of something and drew it to his lips before sliding down into a seat and staring at me.  With something near to amusement, he raised a brow.15

“Well?”16

I cleared my throat and croaked out in a voice much deeper then my own.17

“Are you the one some have called the contractor?” Of course he was fool, I berated myself, no mortal lived top side but this man of fiction, who apparently wasn’t fiction at all.  I rolled my eyes to myself with the thoughts and stepped nearer “I was sent topside to request something of you…”18

He laughed, I don’t even think he let me finish the comment before his booming laughter filled the room.19

“I gathered as much…” He mumbled out before lifting the bottle again.20

My eyes followed his movements, he was a large man in stature, to me a giant I’d say, though who the hell knows for sure what a giant is like anyhow. He was bald atop his head, barely a stubble of hair left in place from a razors kiss. I shook my head and turned my eyes away from him.21

“you want me to save your world, is that it?”22

The question was not asked to receive an answer, but to add fuel to a temper I hadn’t yet found.23

“Yes…” I said softly, turning my eyes again to him.  “you are the only one that can.”24

”What makes you think so?” He boomed out the question, the bottle slamming against the table though I don’t think he intended the movement, he just had a heavy hand.25

“You remained when all others fled, you fought off the bastards that sent us underground….”26

”No you cowards moved under ground, no one sent you there…why should I help cowards?”27

I wanted to cry, yes just imagine that… I standing there wanting his help and whimpering like a fool.  I stood straighter as if that would give me more confidence.  “Because we are all that is left of your kind.” I answered his question, in a voice that cracked thanks to his heavy hand.  He slid the bottle towards me, a gesture I’d think of as assisting me with the problem, though I tell you as I tasted the devils brew in my throat it seemed rather more apparent he was trying to kill me off…28

I coughed and my eyes misted, tears spilling on to my cheeks…He shook his head and took the bottle back and took a heavy swig.29

“What are you willing to give me for my help?”30

Greedy bastard I thought to myself, but of course did not say out loud.  “W..what do you want?” I managed, though my throat and chest were on fire and I wiped the back of my hand across full lips.31

Though he didn’t appear to be looking at me, I’m certain know as I recall the memory that he took full stock of my person. Whether or not he liked what he saw was irrelevant, the fact that they, our kind had sent such a tiny female up top to address him seemed to settle upon him so that he did not quite soften against me, but didn’t touch me again.32

“I need to think about it.  What are the fool men of yours thinking to send such a little one as yourself up here. No sense to the bastards if you asked me.”33

The latter part was mumbled out around the neck of the bottle as he drank, though I heard it, I rather thought I agreed with him.  Then again, what was I, just the chicken shit female that lost at the draw.34

“I lost…” I stated simply and didn’t explain for it didn’t matter to this conversation anyway.35

“You can say that again.” He stood up and I stepped back which caused him to chuckle and shake his head at me before he moved to the dirt streaked window. “You should head back underground before nightfall, its not safe then.” He said without turning around, his voice kept to a monotone that suggested he didn’t give a shit.36

“I will not leave till you agree to help us”37

Well now, hello miss bravery.  I saluted the courage with which I said the words, and wondered to what I would owe to the actual seeing through of the statement.38

He turned slowly, his brow cocked, one corner of his lips lifted in a slight grin. “really, then you don’t have any fears bout using that weapon there on your hip” He nodded his head towards the gun that I had not been able to retrieve when first we’d met.39

“If I have to I will use it.” I stated firmly, warming to this courage thing. He nodded, that smirk on his lips that made me narrow my eyes at him and frown slightly, though I’m certain it appeared more of a pout.40

“Then you might wish to remove the safety from the weapon” He added before turning again to the window just in time to avoid seeing the look that crossed my face, a look that waved bye bye to all my courage.  I shook my head to myself and slumped into the chair he vacated removing the weapon and looking at it.  He hadn’t turned around to see it, but he seemed to know what I was doing for he turned and moved swiftly, rather quick for a man of his size and grabbed the gun.41

“Here..” He growled out, and handed it back to me. “Don’t go shooting yourself now”42

There was laughter in his voice and I looked up at him with the look upon my face that said he’d found my temper, though I kept my mouth shut and just eyed him.43

“Stupid bastards shouldn’t of sent you topside before showing you how to use that thing.” He said and flipped his finger off a match to light a cigarette he had placed to his lips, blue-gray smoke billowed up to momentarily shield his features before he inhaled it and blew the remainder out. The sun was settling it seemed to come upon them swiftly, the darkness, like a heavy blanket it cloaked the room in shadows, the corners disappearing into the night. “Too late..” He said, and moved into the darkness returning moments later and setting stones atop the table, stones that radiated light.  44

I reached out a hand but stopped half way.45

“Are they hot?”46

He shook his head, a look in his eyes that might of suggested I was slow.47

“Would I have carried them with my hands?”48

I groaned and touched fingertips to the stones, they were cold.  Wasn’t like I’d of known, I thought to myself.  The damn man had proven to be immortal in his crusades against the beings of the other planets.  But he wasn’t really, he was flesh and blood or so the contact earlier proved.  What was it bout him that made him seem invincible.  He moved about the room, doing what I didn’t know at the time…I turned to fix my interest upon the stones.49

“You will stay here tonight” He broke into my thoughts, “tomorrow you return to your hole.”50

I meant to protest but he didn’t seem to care and left the room returning with a course blanket. “you sleep there.” He pointed to a cleared spot on the floor. “and if your wise you’ll sleep lightly.”51

I took the blanket and moved to where he pointed laying on the hard surface of the floor the blanket rolled up to cushion my head.  I heard his heavy foot falls beside me and I looked up at him with wide eyes.52

“You forgot this..”53

He handed me my gun and I cursed inside.  54

God damnit…55

My eyes remained open for sometime, watching the dancing shadows move across the walls, he’d taken the stones away sometime ago making any seeing almost impossible.  But I was use to the dim, dark holes beneath the earth, though I often kept them lit, I was no stranger to the blackness and my eyes adjusted  rather quickly.  The floor was hard against my back side, and I shifted to and fro trying to find comfort that was just not to be had.  How the hell did I manage to fuck this all up?  That’s precisely what I did, it had not gone off the way I had it planned at all… No he was suppose to agree to help, and then…then.. well I wasn’t  sure what then but sure as hell not this, laying on hard floor in the darkness, with my damn boots still on! I rolled to my right and faced the wall, my lashes blinked over tired eyes as the farce of this day began to weigh heavily upon me and take its toll.  I closed my eyes, thinking just for the moment, to cease the sting of burning…and fell asleep….56

He knew when she’d dropped off into sleep, the even breathing that centered about the silence of the room gave evidence to it.  He sat leaning back in the hard surface of the chair, facing the large dirt streaked window and what was left of a door that had been torn apart, boarded up and torn apart again.  The night was heavy upon them and he had spent many a night in this very way, though more often without any unease.  Damn female, who the hell sends a woman to do a mans job?  Idiots…. He kept his thoughts from passing his lips, though he was not amiss to speaking to himself aloud in the past, but he was conscious of the wee woman not far from him and cursed his luck her presence.  She was a danger here, one more added to the many he already avoided or encountered head on.  He had no worry for death or his own well being and perhaps that’s why he had managed to live so long…but now with her….well shit, he cursed under his breath.  Now he had to watch her ass too…  He turned his eyes towards the shadows where she lay, and was damn sure she’d fallen into a deep sleep avoiding his warning to sleep light.  Down under they had warning if invaders came, up top that wasn’t the case and he could see himself having to pick her up and carry her to safety if any came this night.  She didn’t look to weigh more then 7 stones or so and wouldn’t be a effort at all for him to do so, was just damn irritating…  He didn’t need baggage, he liked his life the way it was, was content with it and what it afforded him.  He sure as hell didn’t need a woman to come in and complicate things, and that’s just what she was, a complication… and trouble he added, nodding his head to his own thoughts.  Why he thought as much he couldn’t really say if asked, he felt it, when first she tried to draw her weapon upon him…when he held her vice like in his grip and could of squashed the life from her, and might of…. But he didn’t….ah hell, he groaned and lifted the liquor bottle once more…57

He blinked open his eyes, was at the darkest spot of night, sometime before the dawn and he heard them approaching, he moved from his chair his weapon in hand and sidled over to the sleeping form in the corner.  He’d been right she was out cold or she’d of heard them to.  He was silent upon his feet for a man of his size and any to witness it would be impressed with the accomplishment but none did.  He pondered a moment his method on this here invasion.  If he woke the woman she was likely to scream as most females were inclined to do and give away their position. On the other hand he couldn’t just leave her lying their for one of the robotic morons to trip over.  Ah fuck, he lowered to his haunches…. His dark eyes heavy upon the entry way.  The problem with using machines he thought was that they made to much damn noise, how could you invade with screeching and bleeps leading the way.  He shook his head, but then again, the invaders knew it was only him topside, enough robo-bots and they could take him down… or so they thought.  He grinned, white teeth shining in the blackness before he moved swiftly, wrapping a hand around the woman’s mouth and one about her waist hefting her up against him.  There now wasn’t so hard, though the sting of her teeth against his palm had him ready to slap some sense into the fool woman.  58

He leaned down close to her ear and whisper low to not draw attention.59

“Keep silent, fool and I recommend you do not bite me again.”  His voice was cool , calm and damn irritating.  60

Or so Angel believed as he crushed the breath from her with his grip and blocked the passage by which she could get more.  But she took heed of his words and remained still against him, though her chest rose with a effort to find breath, and her lungs burned.  He pulled them back along the wall, as if leading them towards a corner, and quickly slid them behind it.  His hand lifted and she gasped.61

“Lets go wee one, no time to waste.”62

He moved down the passage swiftly his weapons exposed and raised should the need arise, he made twists and turns in the dark tunnel but he knew when she followed and when she fell behind.  He didn’t paused though just looked back with a stern set in his eyes and a frown on his lips and she picked up her legs and moved.  They were moving swiftly, though she didn’t hear anything that suggested they were being followed, the tunnel was immense in its length, and winding downwards.  She felt the cool clamp of the earth’s slimy fingers and the smell that clung to her now and was familiar, they were underground.  He paused over a large hole and stood still, barely breathing with a effort.63

“After you wee one” He chuckled at her look.64

Leaning over the hole I tried to see my way down into the pit, the distance, the height and what might be occupying it.65

“Were in a hurry” He growled out a split moment before picking her up and dropping her into the blackness….. she would of screamed…..but when her bottom hit the floor the wind was knocked from her and all that emanated was a squeak.  66

He landed beside her on his feet and reached out a hand. “Lets go..”67

She didn’t have time to catch her breath, rub her bruised ass, or yell at the fool for trying to break her neck, he grabbed her and hauled her up pushing her down another dark passage that seemed littered with debris and rodents of all sorts and she cringed, but he kept a firm pressure with his hand at the center of her back.68

“Move it wee one..” He ordered as she faltered over some rather large rats.  69

His voice commanded and left no room for disagreement though a few words came to mind by which to disagree… her legs lifted and she moved on though till the passage opened at the end and they were in the holes of the underground world.  She was familiar here and shrugged off his hand and stepped from in front of him to the side.70

“Told ya you’d be going home”  71

She looked to him, her eyes dark , her full lips set determined in a line that gave her pouty look a comical expression. He laughed and moved ahead of her, as if he knew where to go, and as she gave in and followed. 72

The contractor did know where he was going, wasn’t a damn hole in this city he didn’t know.  He moved quickly till they came to lit tunnels where mortals had made their home.  He paid little heed to the eyes that followed him as he moved onwards.  He said the damn woman was going home, and she was.. and while he was there he intended to tell the man of hers he was a bloody fool and should have his arse whipped, just might do it himself he added as a after thought.73

Angel furrowed her brow, his long legs were hard to keep up with but she managed to. Some stopped her with a smile and a clap on her back but she kept up the pace to not loose him, huffing with the effort she tapped him.74

“Where are you running to?”75

He turned his dark gaze on her “running?  I’m just interested in leaving you with your family and bringing myself back topside.”76

“I don’t have any family.” She stated simply, she had one up on him there she felt rather proud of herself for the moment.77

“Ok then all the damn plonkers you live with.” He raised a brow and moved off turning to the left and bagging heavily on a wooded door placed against the earth’s outsides to afford some privacy.78

“How do you know where I live?” Angel huffed out bracing her arms across her chest as she glared at him.79

He’d entered the tunnels several times, having gone unnoticed to scope out those living within.  He was a careful man, even though he appeared careless, he was not.  Nothing escaped him, though he did almost knock the guy on his ass that opened the door.  He reached out a hand and pushed the wee female forward through the door.80

“Is this yours?” He closed the makeshift door behind him standing just inside the earthen walls.  “I dunno what kind of fools you breed down here, but I do know that no real man sends a woman top-side to do his dirty work.”81

The man in question at first looked outraged at the intrusion but as the contractor began speaking he remained quiet glaring once in a while at angel.  He’d just taken her in, when the flood under ground began and all the mortals came below, she’d come alone.  No woman could get started down here on her own, nor could they take care of themselves.  But Angel was stubborn and though she accepted the place to stay she worked and demanded she be treated like any other regardless of her gender.82

“So next time you consider sending a wee woman like that to face me, you might want to reconsider.  Were I of a mind to I’d beat your arse senseless for the fool you are.”  He heard the last part of the contractors words and raised thick brows turning to look at angel.83

“What??” Angel asked, her hands coming open palms up in question.  “he doesn’t like woman.” She sneered shrugging and moving away further into the room.84

“Well I don’t need to ask who you are, that is apparent.  I’m Thomas, a friend of angels…. The one that took her in when we all came underground and I most certainly did not send her top side.”  Thomas turned and moved into the room pulling a bottle from a shelf and two mugs.  “I have 6 sons, all between the ages of 6 and 20, the devils dragged her into it.”85

“They did not!” Angel added cutting off the older mans words.  Though she considered that by the look in the contractors eyes, perhaps she should of let them think so. “They were drawing from the old wires the other night when the men were discussing just who should go top side, I didn’t think I should be left out of that, I do live here, it is my kind to we are fighting for.  Well…I just drew out the short wire” She nibbled her lip and flopped down upon a beaten up old mattress, she folded arms over her breasts defiantly.86

“I don’t give a shite who the hell sent her top side, she shouldn’t of been there.  Fool woman bought lost her head…”87

“I did not!” Angel fumed then stood pacing across the room. “Almost broke my neck though” then she slammed out of the room, leaving behind both men staring after her.  88

She found the tunnel to the black lands, places that hadn’t been fixed up for living, though many of the kids found their way over to play.  She knew she’d find one or all the boys there so she swirved to take another route. The dank musty smell of the tunnels teased her nostrils, thick black boots kicked up the earth beneath her heels.  Damn fool man she thought silently a frown pulling upon her full lips.  She was not a child and disliked being treated as one.  89